Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Flight back was great thankyou Julie...Dexter went nuts a roo when he saw me ......he wouldn't calm down for anything,everytime I thought he'd played himself out,he'd go and grab another toy and run into the lounge and leap at me like a mad thing.i took him out for a walk/pull.....naughty,naughty ,it was quiet so I let him off for a run around instead as I couldn't see me putting that right when he was so hyped up but he was actually ok when I out him back on his lead! Chris rang to see him and we were all settled down on the couch for the night..Chris was egging me on to take him upstairs to sleep in our room but I held strong ;D I'd regret it if I gave in .....oh but I could give in sooooooo easily! Glad you were happy with your excursion out to the Common,you are right to remember that you are walking in such a busy place,Charlie is doing really well x hope his ears aren't bothering him? Bye for now x
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Well, I spoke to the vet tonight.... There is no bacteria in the ear - it's a yeast infection, Malassezia. So this is a common ear infection with no nasty stuff. Why then, has it been going on since he was 4 months old? The vet had no suggestions - apart from that I bring him in for sedation, an ear flush, and then some more drops that he hasn't had before "it could just be an allergy". Because there is no bacteria, the culture couldn't be grown and the solution identified. Humpf. Getting somewhat unimpressed by this. I think, maybe, I'll save my money on the GA and ear flush and just ask for a referral to a specialist? Got to get to the bottom of it...
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Yes, I'd too would be going for a specialist at this point. Great news that it's not the really nasty bug
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Hmm, yes, I'll mull it over. I'm not sure an ear flush would do much. The vet didn't seem to think so either, I got the impression he was suggesting it because he didn't have anything else to suggest. The vet asked whether Charlie chews his paws - he doesn't, really. Well, I have seen him chew his paws, but not much more than anywhere else. If anything, he scratches behind the top of his front legs - on his leg below his armpit - the most. But there is nothing to see there - the hair is normal, the skin is white, nothing out of the ordinary. A puzzle, for sure.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! I missed this post (not like me, forum addict that I am [quote author=Dexter link=topic=4318.msg52555#msg52555 date=1391677240] Chris was egging me on to take him upstairs to sleep in our room but I held strong ;D I'd regret it if I gave in .....oh but I could give in sooooooo easily! [/quote] Shall we open a book on how long it takes Dex to make it onto Angela's bed? I'd say he is less than a month away... ;D ;D ;D
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Ear disease is common in dogs and is the province of the dermatologist (the ear is, after all, just lined with modified skin). To properly identify what the problem is you need to identify "the three P's" of ear disease - Predisposing, Primary and Perpetuating. Examples of predisposing causes include ear conformation, chronic wetting of the ears ("swimmers ear"), hairy ears, etc etc. In labradors a ring of hairs present at the junction of the horizontal and vertical ear canals may predispose to recurrent Malassezia infection. Primary causes include all the allergies (including allergies to Malassezia themselves), hypothyroidism, etc. Perpetuating causes include middle ear disease, yeasts and bacteria. The Malassezia infection Charlie has needs to be assessed in more detail. Firstly it should be noted that small numbers of Malassezia are normal - on cytology of a swab we would expect to see up to 10-15 organisms per high power field and only if there were more than this would we be concerned. Obviously the small numbers present in a normal ear may show up on culture, hence cytology is better to determine if the Malassezia Charlie has is truly significant. Simply flushing the ear and treating for Malassezia is unlikely to make him permanently better as most commonly Malassezia is just a perpetuating cause. However, that is not to say that a flush and appropriate therapy are not important - Malassezia is, after all, a perpetuating cause of ear disease and it won't get better on its own. So, if I were you, a trip to a vet dermatologist would be in order here for some investigation as to why he is getting these ear infections, and when the predisposing and primary causes are identified then treatment of the perpetuating cause will be more successful. Hope this helps.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Hugely helpful - and interesting. Thanks so much, Lochan. Right, I'll do everything. Ear flush, more drops on Wednesday. And ask for a referral to a dermatologist and see whether I can get an appointment this week or next. I haven't ruled out the raw diet, as previously suggested in case it's a food allergy, but have stalled a bit on this. Mainly because it will be a bit tricky when he goes to the rehab place for his recovery, they weren't keen on all the cold storage that would be required....could do it after that though.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Please let someone fix Charlie's ears . Hope you get a quick appointment Julie xx
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Got an appointment for next Monday at the RVC.... Just a week before the op, and the vet saying he'll check with the surgeon whether the op should go ahead. Argghhh.....I've put forward very strong arguments for why it should. Honestly, I've been back and back and back to the vets - every 5 days - saying I want this cleared up before the op. Now I find myself in this situation. After spending £000s on this blasted ear now. I must have taken my eye off the ball at some point. How did this happen!
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! You didn't do anything, that's dogs for you! It'll be ok *big hugs*
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Try and chill, Julie. Easy to say I know, but if he has an infection, you don't want the operation to go ahead, too dangerous for Charlie. Things will happen the way they will, you have done EVERYTHING you possibly could, now just try to take it easy. His ear will clear up; the operation will go ahead; Charlie will recover and this will all seem like a bad dream.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Julie you NEVER take your eye off the ball it's just one of those things and your are not Wonder Woman okay? Things will work out the way they are meant to xx Lots of licks from Hattie & Charlie and big {{{xxx}}} from me xxx
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Hi Julie I've just been catching up. Poor Charlie I've got my fingers crossed that everything can go as planned. I was reading about you thinking of a raw diet incase that's what's affecting his ears. I had an email fron k9 kapers. They are obviously doing a promotion after that whats in dog food programme. They list their top 5 dog foods. The top one is called Ziwipeak. It's apparently as near to a raw diet as you can get without freezing and thawing. All natural freeze dried but it is very expensive. I just thought I'd pass on the info incase you wanted to try it as it would be easy for the rehab place to use and if it helped Charlie you could then go onto proper raw after. Good luck with everything Jen
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Nooooo! That is what I do, and it is really bad! Some things are beyond our control and this is one of them. It is really bad luck. Fingers crossed for a good outcome for you. Rachael often has problems with her ears, itching and grubbiness, though no infection yet. She is fed a completely raw diet. I can't think of any reason why a raw diet might help with ear infections, but I haven't been following that conversation so may have missed something. The main difference between Rachael and my other dogs is that her fur goes much further into the ear canal. Which is probably a bit of a dirt trap.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! If there is no significant bacterial infection in the ear, only yeasts, and no infection of any type over the stifle where the wound will be then there is no reason why the op should not go ahead. They are just being careful for you! As far as changing diet to raw just now, wait and see what they say at the RVC (are you seeing Ross?). We are VERY picky about the diets potential food intolerant dogs go on, usually choosing a single protein source preferably one they have never eaten before and a single carbohydrate source with no treats, chews, etc not made of these single protein/carb sources. And feed it to the exclusion of all else x 6-8 weeks or so. This can be non-allergenic kibble (hydrolysed), home-made with very strict ingredients lists or occasionally I've used a commercial biologically-appropriate diet based on bison/buffalo (Orijen). Good luck....
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Yes, pulling myself together now (lots going on apart from this, although the op is a huge milestone for us). It is just one of those things, I haven't necessarily messed it all up, they are just being careful, no need to panic (I tell myself sternly). Thanks all, and thanks Lochan. The vet hasn't emailed me back about any delay, so that's good. Yes, Ross at RVC although I also might have a choice of going to Stone Lion (Euan) on an earlier date (which would be good and it is literally just up the road in walking distance). Will hold the raw diet for now.
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! Julie , you musnt ever ever blame yourself for anything or think that you have messed up , you have been such a dedicated owner , Charlie is a lucky lad to have you x
Re: Ear infection - now with blood! [quote author=JulieT link=topic=4318.msg53465#msg53465 date=1392054577] Shall we open a book on how long it takes Dex to make it onto Angela's bed? [/quote] Oh and I missed this too !busying around getting ready for my parents to arrive!.....ha ha ha ha ha!i wonder when I'll cave ( not if ) X Oh goodness....I wrote this flippant reply before I'd got to the end of the thread....what a worrying day you've had....off to PM you xxxxxx
